Alternate: Chapter 8, The Avatar Snare
by jai-kun
Summary: [ONESHOT] This is the alternate Chapter 8 for The Avatar Snare. It has been dubbed the Not Sad version by me.


She had dashed past the guards so quickly that they hadn't had time to stop her, barely time to acknowledge her presence. Despite the fact that they were Firebenders, it was obvious they would not risk chasing her into an already burning structure. More the fool them.

Azula thrust the fire away from her, working her way down the halls, casting her eyes back and forth as she worked her way through the inferno. The wails of the woman who had taken in the orphans of Omashu receded through the sounds of the inferno. The guards were yelling at something, most probably her, but she ignored them.

"Warau!" She inhaled smoke after the call and coughed, impatiently waving the fire away. Her face was hot, and she swiped at it. Her fingers came away yellow.

"Great," she murmured, still casting about in each room for the little girl. "That's going to be hard to remove n-"

Her heart caught in her throat. In the middle of the largest room was a dark shape, underneath a large beam. Dark hair lay fanned around in front of the shape, and Azula rushed in, pushing fire away from her as she did so. She knelt, feeling the shape, her heart pounding. It was a child.

She pulled as hard as she could, then, in a fit of frustrated anger, blasted the beam with a jet of blue flame, disintegrating enough of it that she could push the rest away from the child.

She pulled her out and turned her over.

Warau's eyes were closed, he shirt and some of her torso horribly burnt. Her body was still, limp.

"No."

Azula's heart pounded harder and harder as her fingers sought the girl for some sign of life.

"No, please, _Agni_, please not this."

She touched the little girl's face, practically willing her to open her eyes, laugh, and reach out and hug her. Her face was still and pale. Too still.

A droplet fell onto the streak, sending a dark rivulet running down the little girl's cheek, then another. Azula pulled Warau close to her and heard rather than felt the keening sob bursting from her own chest.

"Shagua?"

The voice was muffled, and Azula pushed the body a little away from her, a cry escaping her lips. Warau's eyes fluttered, and she moaned.

"It's hot."

"Warau!" She clutched the little girl to her and held her close, fighting the sobs that threatened to drag her into a relieved slump.

A piece of burning tatami hit her in the shoulder, shocking her, bringing her back to a semblance of rationality. She had to get out of there. She could Bend the fire away, but the building collapsing would still kill her.

She clutched Warau to her and began to retrace her steps to the exit. The house was groaning, as if it were a wounded animal. Warau stiffened, breathing in then coughing harshly, crying in fear as she began to realize what was happening around her.. Chunks of clay and wood fell from the ceiling, dropping behind Azula like tears of flame. Despite the path she had cleared, it was harder to make her way out because new flames had sprouted where the old ones had been forced away. She was hampered by her hold on the child, but she would not let go.

"Can you hold on to me, Warau?" The girl sobbed in response, and Azula pulled her close. "I need you to hold onto me," she said in her ear. "I have to use my hands!"

The girl nodded, calming somewhat and putting her arms around Azula's neck. The result wasn't the perfect balance she would need for flawless Bending, but it was enough. A gout of flame from each hand incinerated the wood and clay in her path, and she dashed out as the upstairs collapsed behind her. She fell to her knees outside, clutching the girl and breathing deep of the hot but clear air. Warau coughed again, hacking, and Azula feared that she would succumb to the smoke.

A crack and a shout snapped Azula out of her fugue, and she rose to her feet, still clutching Warau. A keening cry that seemed to echo the painful buzzing in her chest came from her left, and she turned to face the matron, whose hands were on her face in horror.

Azula stepped forward and knelt, laying the child carefully at the matron's feet. "She's alive," she choked out, pushing the child into the matron's arms.

A cruel voice sounded from behind her. "For now."

"The others," cried the woman, unheeding of the Fire Nation soldier. "Where are the others?"

"There aren't any others," Azula said, her head spinning. She had heard the soldier's cruel comment, and her vision began to burn. "I felt air. I think they got out. Look behind the house."

"They're safe," came Ty Lee's voice, strained and angry, but otherwise clear. "Jun and I found them crawling out of the window and took them to the Inn."

Azula turned as Ty Lee grunted, seeing a group of soldiers around her, on the ground, and another flying from her outstretched foot. Her top was burnt, but she looked otherwise unharmed. Similarly, Mai was locked in a throwing battle with a Firebending soldier, her knives slicing the air after each fireball passed her.

It was time to end this.

With speed that her intense training had honed into a fine edge, she launched blue fire at the fighting soldiers. Almost instantly some of them backed away, lowering their hands and splaying their fingers in a sign of surrender. Five, however, advanced in her. Mai incapacitated one and Ty Lee had the other wrapped up before they could compensate.

It was three to three.

Azula advanced, her lip curled into a snarl, and before the Commander could take a step either away or toward her, blue fire jets erupted around him, burning him, melting his armor and face mask, sending him screaming to the ground, writhing. Azula pulled the fire from his face with a dismissive flick, the air cooling the melted metal against his body.

All movement stopped as the Fire Nation soldiers gaped at their commander. Ty Lee and Mai knocked them out in their distraction, and Azula knelt next to the screaming commander. "If you so much as breathe toward this village," she growled, loud enough for the rest of the soldiers to hear, "I will find you and I will finish the job I just started."

The surrendered soldiers darted away in a tumbling run, and Azula felt an hand touch her arm. She spun, but Ty Lee's face was all that she saw.

"How much do we have?" Her voice was raspy and tight in her throat.

Ty looked her in the eyes, then pulled a pouch from her belt. "That's half."

Azula turned without a word and walked to the sobbing matron. She dropped the pouch between the woman and the little girl, her throat constricting as she took in the little face one more time. "Rebuild if there's enough. They need you."

She turned and walked away, her feet like lead. She had gotten less than a meter when a hard object hit her in the back, causing her to stumble forward. "Don't go, Shagua!"

She turned, taking the little arms wrapped around her waist and gently prying them free. She pulled Warau around to face her, taking in the pained expression. The attempt at tackling her must have jarred her burn. "I have to, little one," she said gently, ignoring the quaver in her voice. "I have to find someone."

The woman stood, her fist clenched around the money bag. "You're... you're Fire Nation... How.. why..?"

"Not all Fire Nation are cold blooded killers," came Mai's disgusted voice.

The woman pointed at Azula. "She just maimed a man!"

Mai countered, coldly, "He deserved it."

"Take me with you."

Azula looked down into the deep eyes of the girl, noticing for the first time that they were a rich hazel. "I-- Warau, I am not... I've done some very... bad things..."

Warau shook her head vigorously, her hair flying. "You're not bad, Shagau! You're not! Take me with you!"

Ty Lee's hand found her shoulder, and Azula looked up. "We have to go."

Azula looked down and found she could not say no to those eyes. She looked up again at her friend, who smirked. "I hope she doesn't eat a lot," quipped the acrobat. "You just gave away half of our money."

Without a word, Azula stood, holding Warau. "We'll clean you up and dress that burn on the boat, if you can hold up a little longer." The girl nodded, then rested her head against Azula's shoulder. They walked away, slowly, and Azula noticed that the woman did not protest. It didn't matter. Azula wouldn't have listened if she had.

"What now," Mai asked, low and soothing.

"We find the Avatar." Azula could all but see the stares of her friends, resigned, uncomprehending, possibly disappointed. So she clarified.

"We have to help him stop this damned war."

* * *

All around the Fire Nation occupied lands, posters were pasted on each community board and post. They held a picture of a yellow face surrounded by wild black hair, golden eyes practically glowing. 

All of them read the same thing down the left side. "Wanted for the death of Fire Nation Soldiers: The Yellow Demon."

* * *

A/N: I think this is happier. I hope so. It's still pretty dark at points, so I labeled it the "not sad" version. The "sad" version will go up as a separate one shot so you can see it. This seems like a cop out, possibly, and I wrote the "sad" version first and modified it to be "not sad" after, but it does open some interesting possibilities. If anyone would like to "audition" to continue the story in this vein, I would definitely take it into consideration. 

I should also like to note that I am posting this now only because I said it would when I posted Chapter 8 of The Avatar Snare. After looking at it for a while, I really think it is the weaker version. I apologize for afflicting you with it, but I am, if anything, a man of my word. InvaderK has seen this and gone through it with the usual fine tooth comb :)


End file.
